.Org vs .Com – Which Domain Extension Should You Choose?
After .com, .org is the 2nd most popular domain extension on the internet. However, they are both top-level domains but used for different purposes.
If you have planned to start your website, whether business, sports blog, portfolio, nonprofit, etc., you may be wondering which domain extension to choose or if there is any difference between domain extensions, let’s say .org vs .com.
Choosing the right domain name as well as the extension is very important, as it has an impact on your business’s reputation and credibility.
That’s why, in this article, I will explain the difference between .com vs .org domain extensions and help you decide to pick a domain name that suits your business.
.Com vs .Org – What’s the difference between Domain Extensions
- What is a domain extension?
- Difference between .com and .org domain extensions
- What does .com mean?
- What does .org mean?
- When to use a .com domain?
- When to use a .org domain?
- .org vs .org – which extension is better for SEO?
- Which is the best place to buy .com and .org domain?
- Is .com or .org better?
- Can you use .org for my business?
- .com vs .org – Conclusion
What is a Domain Extension?
A domain extension is the last part of a domain name. For example, in the domain “WPMyWeb.com,” “WPMyWeb” is the domain, and “.com” is the extension.
While registering a domain name, you need to choose an extension that suits the purpose of your website, for example, “.com” for commercial websites, “.net” for network-related websites, “.edu” for education-related websites.
Once selected, you need to register your domain along with an extension as soon as possible before someone else buys it.
There are over 1,000 extensions available, but we recommend you to go with popular TLDs such as .com, .net, .edu, .org, .co, .org, etc. You can also choose country-specific TLDs like .us – for United States, .co.uk – United Kingdom, .it – Italy, .jp – Japan, etc.
Now, let’s compare the difference between .org vs .com to see which domain extension is better for your website.
.Com vs .Org – The difference Between Domain Extensions
.Com and .Org is the most popular domain name extensions on the internet.
Nearly 46.7% of the total websites are registered with the .com domain extension, where around 5.2% of the total websites are registered with the .org extension.
.com stands for “commercial” is the most popular top-level domain extension on the internet. It is primarily used for commercial websites like businesses, personal blogs, eCommerce stores, portfolios, or any kind of website that makes money.
On the other hand, .org stands for “organization” which is another top-level domain extension that is mostly used for non-profit organizations, such as Wikipedia.org.
However, nowadays, many businesses register both domain extensions to make sure nobody can hurt their brand name.
When Should You Choose a .Com Domain Extension?
.Com is the most popular domain extension on the internet. More than 47% of the total websites are powered by the .com domain name.
Due to the vast usage of the .com domain, it’s easier to remember than any other extensions. More than that, it also helps to build and promote your brand.
Now, I will explain when you should choose a .com domain.
Websites that sell products or services
If you want to sell products online or provide paid services, then the .com extension will work best. The .com is a kind of extension that most people are friendly with.
The .com extension carries much weight than any other domain name. So, businesses having a .com extension are much likely to attract customers and seem legitimacy.
On the contrary, picking a cheap-domain extension such as info, biz, xyz, etc. for commercial websites will hurt your website’s reputation, and they look like spam. As a result, you end up losing your customers.
Blog websites
Using a .com extension for your blog adds credibility and also helps to build your brand efficiently, whether it is a newspaper, personal blog, portfolio, photography, money-making blog, and almost anything in between.
When Should You Choose a .Org Domain Extension?
Around 5.2% of the total websites are using the .org extension. This number is very less if compared to the .com registered domains. That’s why it’s easier to get a domain with the .org extension.
For non-profit organizations
The .org domain extension is mainly used for non-profit organizations. However, there are scenarios where you can use the .org extension.
Free online Educational sites
Many online educational websites provide free courses for the sole purpose of educating people, use the .org extension.
However, not all educational websites use a .org domain name but a .com extension because they don’t offer free courses, and of course, you need to pay to gain access to their content.
But, if your purpose is to educate people without making any money, then the .org extension is right for you, for example, KhanAcademy.org. Although, you can accept donations in order to run your website going.
Open-source software websites
As non-profit organizations, many open-source software companies use a .org extension. Their goal is to provide open-source software that is free for public usage. For example, “WordPress.org” is a blogging platform that uses the .org extension.
.Org vs .Com – Which Domain Extension is Better for SEO?
Now, you may be wondering which domain extension is better for SEO or which one will boost your website’s ranking?
If you are asking between .org vs .com, then choosing any of the extensions will not affect your SEO. That means search engines will treat both domain extensions in the same way.
In a website’s address, the only thing that matters is the domain name, not the extension.
If you want to grow your site’s traffic, then you need to follow the best SEO practices that include quality content, good site structure, link building, on-page SEO, and many more.
How to Choose an SEO friendly domain name:
a) Try to add keywords in your domain name if possible
It would be better if you add at least one keyword in your domain name.
This way, search engines like Google will understand what your website is about. For example, “thebestflowershop.com” will rank better than “thebestshop.com,” because in here, you have added “flower and shop” keywords in your domain.
Similarly, if your business or store belongs in a particular area, you can add an area name in your domain. For example, if your furniture business is located in Chicago, then a good domain name would be “furnituresinchicago.com.”
b) Make sure your domain name easy to pronounce
Make sure your domain name is easy to pronounce as well as easy to remember. Avoid hyphens and numbers in your domain name.
c) Don’t repeat any letter
Keep your domain name simple, and don’t repeat any letters. Because it often makes users confused. For example, “thefloowershhop.com” is a bad name as it contains repeated letters.
Where is the Best Place to Buy .Org and .Com Domain?
To create a website whether a blog or business, you need to purchase a domain as well as web hosting.
In simple words, a domain name is your website’s address on the internet, and web hosting is the place where your website’s files are stored.
Without web hosting, you can’t create a website.
[thrive_custom_box title=”” style=”dark” type=”color” color=”#c5ecf7″ border=””]Usually, a domain costs around $14 for a year and $11.99/month for web hosting. If I calculate, that’s $157 for a year and $473 for 3 years.[/thrive_custom_box]
It’s pretty expensive for beginners who are just starting out.
Fortunately, web hosting companies like Hostgator offer a FREE domain name registration with their hosting plan, and their price also low.
1. How to register a free domain name with HostGator (I recommend)
Or,
2. Register only a domain name with NameCheap (No Hosting)
1. Get a Free Domain Name with – Hostgator
Hostgator is one of the best web hosting providers that provide a free domain name with their plan. They offer a different type of hosting such as shared hosting, WordPress hosting, Cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and Dedicated hosting.
Their hosting plan starts from only $2.75/ month, which includes:
- a FREE domain name registration
- free SSL certificate
- unlimited storage
- unlimited bandwidth
- unlimited business email address
- worth of $200 marketing credits
- 24/7/365 support
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- free website transfer
- easy to use WordPress installation
To register a free domain with HostGator, follow the instructions below.
Step 1, First, go to HostGator’s website. I have added a coupon in this link which will give you a 60% discount. You can also enter the promo code WPMYWEB60 while filling up the payment details.
Or,
Click here to go to ==> www.hostgator.com <== website.
Step 2, Choose a plan, based on your requirements. For now, choose the Hatchling Plan if you are just getting started. You can also upgrade or downgrade your current plan later.
Then, click on the Buy Now button to get started.
Step 3, In this step, you need to register a domain.
At first, enter your domain name.
Then go to the Billing Cycle option. Choose 36 months / 3 years package for extra discount.
Enter a username for creating your account, it must be 2-12 characters long.
Then set your PIN (only numbers). It must be 4-8 characters long.
Step 4, Enter your account details as well as billing info.
You can pay using both Credit Card and PayPal.
Step 5, You will be asked to add extra packages but it’s totally optional. I recommend turning them off.
Step 6, Now check the “terms & Service” box and click on the Checkout Now button.
Once done, you will receive your account details through email.
[thrive_link color=’blue’ link=’https://www.wpmyweb.com/offer/hostgator-shared-plan’ target=’_self’ size=’big’ align=’aligncenter’]Register a FREE domain with HostGator[/thrive_link]
Read, How to Install WordPress on HostGator under 10 minutes (step by step guide)
2. Register a Domain Name with – NameCheap
If you don’t want to create a website, then you can still register a domain. NameCheap is the best place to register a domain name.
They are currently powering over 10 million domains. The best thing about NameCheap is that they offer lifetime Whois guard privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions (.org vs .com):-
Is .com or .org better?
Both the domain extensions will perform identically. These extensions have a different purpose in serving your website.
For example, if you are running a commercial business or any kind of website that sells products or services, then you should definitely go with the .com domain.
On the other hand, if you are running a non-profit organization that primarily provides help or resources to a target audience with a specific need, then the .org extension would be a better option for the website.
However, if you are wondering which domain extension will perform better for SEO, then both the extensions will have the same impact on the search engine.
Can you use .org for my business?
Yes, you can use a .org domain for your business. However, I wouldn’t recommend a .org extension for your business because:
- Most of the users will go to the .com website as they are familiar with the .com domain. In case this happens, you end up making zero profit out of your business.
- Users may presume your business is a non-profit organization.
.Org vs .Com – The Verdict
.Com and .Org are the most popular domain extensions on the web. They are used for different purposes.
Before registering a domain, you should know which domain extension suits your business, for example, .com vs .org. If you want to run a commercial business, then the .com is the right extension for your domain and for non-profit organizations, .org suits best.
In this article, we have shared the difference between .org vs .com domain name and also explained which one you should choose for your website.
Now, it’s time to register your favorite domain before someone does.
[thrive_link color=’blue’ link=’https://www.wpmyweb.com/offer/hostgator-shared-plan’ target=’_self’ size=’big’ align=’aligncenter’]Register a FREE domain with HostGator[/thrive_link]
Related article,
Do you want to create a website? Here’s a step by step guide on how to create a website in 10 minutes.
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